Some of the Psalms are a lament, while others are a rant. (Too many, for my taste.) However, there are also Psalms that celebrate God and affirm the Almighty. (I like those.) Psalm 144:2 proclaims God is our fortress, stronghold, deliverer, and shield. In short, he keeps us safe from harm and our enemies. But […]
Help Me versus Make Me As I read the Psalms in the Amplified Bible this week, a curious phrase jumped out. The writer says to God, “Make me understand the way of your precepts.” Notice, he didn’t ask for assistance by saying, “Help me.” He was direct; he implored God to “Make me.” The NIV […]
Transitioning from the Old to New Testament Consider that the Bible’s two testaments, its two sections. The Old Testament of the Bible presents God’s original way of interacting with his people (a covenant). It consists of a list of rules and expectations (the law). The New Testament of the Bible introduces Jesus and a new […]
I used to do business with an India-based company whose employees ended every phone call by saying “Good Karma.” This perplexed me. How should I respond? Was their ritual sendoff a theological reflection or merely their culture’s accepted way to say goodbye? I considered replying with “God bless” or some such response, but I usually […]
This week I found a baby Robin stuck in a 40-inch deep window well at my house. He was too young to fly. If I didn’t rescue him, he would starve to death. This isn’t the first time something like this happened. I knew what to do. I tied a rope to the handle on […]
Last week I posted that while the Sunday morning church service can be good, I desire more. And I do occasionally experience more. Sometimes it’s in those solitary moments with just me and the Almighty. But the sweeter times are when I experience more in community. There are three situations when more can occur. 1. […]
I’m a fan of Dr. Gary Chapman’s classic book The Five Love Languages. The basic premise is there are five ways people express and receive love. The five love languages are: Though we may use several of these love languages or even all of them, we each have a primary mode we default to in […]
We spend time with people we like. The more we like them, the more time we spend together. If we claim people as friends but don’t often see them, then they must not be too important. The same is true with God. If God is important to us, we’ll spend time with him: not out […]
When God’s people were in Egypt, he promised to send them back to the land of Jacob, that is, the Promised Land. God would give them the land because they deserved it, right? Surely God would bless them with freedom and a place to call home because they earned it. Their endurance while enslaved in […]
Last week in “What are your priorities?” I wondered if God is a part of our lives. Does he have first place, given lessor attention, squeezed in, or an afterthought? Next is the contrast between our intention and our reality—which seldom match. A follow-up consideration is “How is he a part of our lives?” Again, […]